In Case of Emergency
by LadyExcalibur2010
Summary: Sometimes, it's the little things that bring an idea home. A O/S peek into the lives of Luke and Mara.


I don't own anything in the galaxy far, far away. Too bad. I would love to cuddle up with my very own Obi-Wan... You might have seen this posted under another user name on another board. I am the author, just using another name. You may PM the author (VaderLVR64) on that board to make sure. I will make sure to answer! :D

**In Case of Emergency**

Mara stared at the flimsy, wondering what it was about those four little words that had given her pause. She lifted the stylus, quite prepared to put a dash. That dash meant that there was nothing – no one - to put in that blank. It indicated everything that had defined her.

Before.

Before Luke, there had been no name to put there, no one who really cared if she lived or died. Or if she needed them in case of an emergency. She was on her own, even when she was sick or hurt. The Emperor would have been displeased if she had died, but only because she represented a huge investment for him. Many credits had been spent molding her into the perfect assassin, the Emperor's Hand.

She had served him well, and his investment had been repaid many times over. Other than Palpatine, there was no one else in the galaxy that she could have named who would have cared if she died today. In fact, there would probably be a few celebrations. She had no one to call her own.

Until she had met Luke.

And loved him.

Biting her lip, Mara stared at the tiny blank space following the words that had thrown her. _In case of emergency…_ In spite of herself, she felt hot tears stinging at her eyes. How often had she been in a med center, a little scared but trying not to show it? Knowing that no one was sitting anxiously in the waiting room or holding her hand while the medic examined her? Now all of that seemed to belong to someone else.

Laughing at herself, Mara carefully wrote his name.

In case of emergency, contact: _Luke Skywalker._

Relationship to patient: _Husband._

May this emergency contact be given health information? _Yes._

She stared at the form for a moment, strangely reluctant to give it to the woman who held out her hand expectantly. Then, giving a little sigh at her own foolishness, Mara handed the form to the woman who glanced at it and then dismissed it as just another one in an ever-growing pile on her desk.

Mara turned and found a seat. They were on a small planet far from the Core and there were few medical facilities. She had not even wanted to come at all, but Luke had insisted during their comm call.

His expression had been both patient and firm. "Mara…" A tiny note of concern laced his voice. "Now this is silly," he chided her gently, causing her to frown. "You know I'm going to worry about you until you let me know that everything's all right."

"You're the one being silly," she muttered, carefully avoiding his gaze and examining her nails. How had that grease gotten under there? Damn.

"Mara?" Luke's gentle tone made her meet his eyes. "Please?'

There it was.

With that simple word, he had roused up all the feelings they shared, the bond that linked them no matter how far apart they were. He loved her and with his love, and because she loved _him_, came a responsibility on her part to keep him from worrying when she could. "Oh all right…" she said with ill-concealed reluctance. "I'm telling you, it's just the flu or something." She sniffed. "It'll just run its course."

"Well, I'll feel better when the _medic_ has said it's just the flu or something." His eyes crinkled as he smiled and she found herself wanting to kiss those lines. She had always found them oddly attractive.

"I'll comm you later," she said. "And I'll tell them to bill _you_."

"I'll be waiting," he assured her.

That had been early morning – two days ago. She had eased her guilty conscience by reminding herself that she had never said exactly _when_ she would visit the medic. Then she had woken up this morning feeling worse than ever. Reluctantly, she had decided that Luke just might be right. For once.

So here she was, waiting for a medic, getting all misty-eyed and girly over a stupid form.

_In case of emergency._

She sighed and closed her eyes. Sleep had proven elusive since she had started feeling bad. Even when she finally fell asleep, it was not restful. She was exhausted and cranky, and she had not had the energy to even shower this morning. She probably smelled.

Still, she thought, there was something to this marriage thing, even if just meant having a name to fill in on a medic's form. Just when she thought she was getting used to being married, to being a part of _Luke and Mara_, something would pop up and surprise her.

Today it was just four little words.

Strange how much her life had changed, Mara thought, feeling drowsy and not at all impatient. She usually hated waiting, but today, well, it wasn't so bad. The waiting room was quiet and her fever seemed to have abated, for the moment anyway. Yeah, there were worse ways to spend the day.

Tonight, she would call Luke and assure him that she had gone to the doctor. That thought made her frown, her eyes still closed. Why hadn't he called her last night? Oh yeah, he cared _so_ much that he hadn't even called.

She snorted softly, not caring if anyone heard her.

As she rubbed at her temples, another horrible thought occurred to her. What if he had gotten hurt or something? What if that was the reason he hadn't called? She tried to remind herself that Leia would certainly have gotten in touch if Luke was hurt. _Or worse,_ her mind insisted on adding.

Mara lectured herself sternly, keeping her eyes closed and trying to keep a tighter check on her thoughts. Luke was fine, she assured herself. He had just gotten busy last night. He would probably call tonight and be extremely solicitous and concerned about her health.

Still, she thought sourly, he could have called, even if only for a minute.

Mentally formulating the lecture she would give Luke when he called (because she wasn't going to call _him_, that was for damned sure!) she did not hear the door open, or notice the soft sounds of footsteps.

Then a hand grasped hers, warm and callused and familiar.

"I knew you'd wait," Luke said softly.

Her eyes still closed, she smiled. "You know me too well, farmboy."

He laughed softly and kissed her cheek. "Stubborn to a fault," he chided.

"Is a Skywalker really giving _me_ grief about being stubborn?" she asked dryly. Then she opened her eyes and smiled at him. His face was shadowed with stubble and the lines on his face were more deeply etched. "You worried about me," she said in wonder.

He shrugged, and she could tell he was embarrassed. "I seem to do that a lot," he admitted.

Sighing, she snuggled up against him, forgetting for a moment her rule about public displays of affection. Besides, she was sick. The usual rules did not apply. Her hand came up to stroke the fabric of his tunic. His arms came up and wrapped around her and suddenly she felt better than she had in days. "I'm glad to see you," she confessed quietly.

"You must be feeling really terrible," he mocked.

"You've caught me in a weak moment," she agreed.

A voice interrupted them.

"Mara Jade Skywalker?"

Mara got to her feet, tugging Luke along with her. "He's coming with me," she informed the medic's assistant.

The woman shrugged. "Fine by me." She glanced at Luke. "And you are?" There was more than polite interest in the woman's voice now and Mara moved to stand between her and Luke.

"He's my…" Mara stopped and laughed. "He's my _in case of emergency._" 


End file.
